A French-led military intervention pushed back the insurgents a year later but clashes with rebels and Islamist attacks have led more people to flee. More than 60,000 Malian refugees now live in Niger.

Last month, a Malian woman and child were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked a security post at another refugee camp in Niger, the United Nations said.

Niger's government said it had launched an investigation into the Tazalit attack and declared two days of national mourning.

"The president of the republic (and) the government present, in the name of the devastated Nigerien people, their condolences to the families of the victims," said a statement read on national radio.

Niger's small army is not only seeking to prevent armed groups and bandits entering from Mali to the west, but also fighting Boko Haram militants launching raids from Nigeria in the south.

There are also concerns that Islamic State fighters could be pushed into Niger by a government offensive in Libya to the northeast.